Briton held over 452 fake passports

A Briton was arrested at Bangkok airport yesterday with 452 fake blank European passports in his luggage, as he prepared to board a plane to return to the UK.

Mahieddine Daikh, an Algerian who became a naturalised Briton two years ago, will probably escape punishment unless there is a formal complaint in the next few days from the government of one of the countries affected, Thai and British authorities told the Guardian yesterday.

Mr Daikh was caught at 1am while in transit from the southern Thai island of Koh Samui to Amsterdam, from where he was scheduled to fly to Glasgow.

Officials found about 200 forged passports from France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal in his hand luggage and 250 fakes from the same countries in his checked-in bags, according to an immigration chief, General Suwat Thamrongsisakul.

"There were 452 altogether," he said. "He told us he bought the passports from a Pakistani man for £3,000 in Koh Samui and that he would be paid £15,000 when he delivered them to his contact in London.

"Of course he can't remember the name of the Pakistani."

A British embassy official who examined the passports was very impressed with their quality, according to Gen Suwat.

"He had to look at them very carefully before being certain they were fake," he said. "'Excellent job' is what he told my officers."

Mr Daikh is currently being held in an immigration detention centre but he could be free by the weekend, because there appears to be no terrorism link to the case.

"We will not prosecute him unless one of the embassies [of the countries whose passports were forged] files a formal complaint," Gen Suwat said. "We will probably give them a couple of days to do that.

"If they do not, we will revoke his visa and return him [to Britain]." It was unclear last night if any of the countries involved intended to press charges.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman admitted Mr Daikh would not be arrested on his return to the UK. "He could not be prosecuted in Britain for this offence," she said.

When asked if he would therefore be free, she replied: "That's what is likely to happen."

Thailand has a reputation as a source of fake travel documents. Couriers carrying forged passports are caught regularly, but it is thought many more escape detection.

Western diplomats believe many of the documents are made in Pakistan.

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